Tag Archives: France

Oil major Total said it will buy a majority stake in French electricity retailer Direct Energie in a €1.4 billion (Dh6.3 billion, $1.73 billion) deal that will make it a major challenger to state-owned market leader EDF. Total has entered into an agreement with the controlling shareholders of Direct Energie …

The United States, in coordination with France and Britain, carried out a series of predawn air strikes on Saturday in Syria in response to what it said was a chemical weapons attack this month in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Douma. The strikes were the latest development in a long-running …

Western allies warned Syria on Saturday that they could launch further attacks if chemical weapons are used again, even as Syria’s powerful backer Russia denounced the missile strikes but gave no signs of possible retaliation. The flurry of statements after Friday’s coordinated strike of U.S. cruise missiles — along with …

Both the US and France denied the air strikes on Syrian military targets, which had reportedly killed Iranians. Several US officials said on Sunday there was no truth to reports that the US military had launched air strikes against a Syrian government air base. The US denial followed a report …

Libya’s National Oil Corporation (NOC) said on Wednesday it had signed a deal with French building and engineering group Artelia to manage the development of its offices in the eastern city of Benghazi. There have been plans for years to move the state oil firm’s headquarters from the capital Tripoli …

A gunman killed four people and injured several others Friday in an attack that roiled the country that has borne the brunt of Europe’s recent struggle with terrorist violence. One of the victims, Arnaud Beltrame, was a 44-year-old police officer who had traded places with a hostage in a supermarket …

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is being detained for questioning as part of an investigation looking into allegations that he took millions of euros from Libya to fund his 2007 election campaign. Police took Sarkozy into custody on Tuesday as part of investigation that began in 2013. He is being …

Maxime Hauchard, a French terrorist sought by French and US authorities since emerging in a Daesh execution video in Syria, has been killed, sources close to the inquiry told AFP on Thursday. “The date and circumstances of his death aren’t yet known, but it appears he died in the summer …

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vowed to continue an offensive in eastern Ghouta near Damascus on Sunday as his forces advanced into the last major rebel enclave near the capital. The offensive is one of the deadliest in the war and one local insurgent group called it a“scorched earth” campaign. The …

An ancient sculpted rock, depicting camelids (even-toed ungulate mammals) and equids (a mammal of the horse family), has been found in the northern Saudi province of Al Jawf. Although the camel has been a common motif in the artworks of the region for millennia, the latest discovery is “unprecedented” in …

The Syrian government hit back on Thursday against French criticism of its military campaign in rebel-held Idlib, saying it was targeting terrorist groups that were not party to an agreement to reduce fighting in the rebel-held region. France said on Wednesday it was extremely concerned by the government offensive in …

French President Emmanuel Macron said a contract with China for 184 Airbus A320 narrow-body jets would be finalized soon and that his country also had ambitions to sell A350 and A380 planes to China in coming weeks or months. The potential A320 order, which had not been previously announced, would …

By Sarah Safa — Terracotta Army, place of departure of the French President’s visit for China, the emblematic site was few time back also designed as the departure point of the new silk road, from where the “Belt and Road” initiative was launched by the Chinese government. There is no …

Israel on Sunday identified 20 activist groups from around the world whose members will be banned from entering the country over their calls to boycott the Jewish state, stepping up its fight against a movement it views as a serious threat. Israel last year enacted a law that would ban any …

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia against making belligerent statements on the recent developments inside Iran, calling on them to tone down their rhetoric which, he said, could lead to “war.” “The official line pursued by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, who are …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will visit Paris on Jan. 5 to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, with the conflict in Syria high on the agenda, a source in the French president’s office said on Saturday. Among the regional crises the two leaders plan to discuss, there would be a …

Former French president Francois Hollande condemned on Tuesday the move by the United States to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel at a time of high political and military tensions around the world. Speaking to delegates at the 10th annual Arab Strategy Forum in Dubai, Hollande criticised President Donald …

The former chief executive of LafargeHolcim, the world’s largest cement maker, and five other top officials are being formally investigated as part of a government inquiry into whether the company helped finance the Islamic State militant group and other armed factions while operating a factory in Syria. The expanding investigation …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Israel’s “irreplaceable” relationship with the United States in his first public remarks after the Trump administration said it would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, but he did not address the move directly and instead stressed the threat of Iran. Netanyahu lauded Israel’s expanding …

That is according to the chief executive of French retailer Bayara, who has been driving a programme of change that has seen the seller of dried fruits and nuts grow to nearly Dh500 million in annual sales. Value added tax (VAT) will force retailers to continue in to next year …

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday he would draw up a list of extremist organizations to convey to Saudi Arabia after its crown prince pledged to cut their funding. Saudi Arabia finances groups overseen by the Mecca-based Muslim World League, which for decades was charged with spreading the strict …

Outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri held talks in Cairo on Tuesday with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during a stopover on his way from Paris to Beirut. Hariri’s resignation on Nov. 4 triggered a political crisis in the power-sharing government. In brief remarks after Tuesday’s meeting, he thanked El-Sisi …

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived Saturday in France from Saudi Arabia, where his resignation announcement two weeks ago sparked accusations that he was being held there against his will. A source close to Hariri confirmed he had landed after flying in overnight from Riyadh, while Lebanese TV station LBCI showed …

The Saudi-led coalition rescued two French journalists on Thursday who had gone missing in an area of Yemen held by the Iran-aligned Al Houthi group, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported. The channel said the two women had been “kidnapped” by the Al Houthis on November 2 while travelling with a …

Hariri resigned in an address from Riyadh on November 4, saying his life was in danger. He has not been back to Lebanon since, fueling speculation that he is being held against his will. His announcment plunged Lebanon into a political crisis and stoked fears of conflict between the Saudi-backed …

When the Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri made a sudden trip abroad last week, it was taken at first to be a routine visit with his political patron, Saudi Arabia. But the next day, he unexpectedly announced his resignation by video from Riyadh, the Saudi capital. He has yet to …

See for yourself the interconnectedness of humanity, rich cultural and historical offerings and the dialogue of civilisations through art — right here in the UAE. The iconic Louvre Abu Dhabi museum on Saadiyat Island opens its doors to the public today, November 11, 2017 — with 1,000 extra tickets released …

The UAE and France have reiterated their commitment to strengthening and enhancing bilateral cooperation and partnership across all fields in the coming years. This came in a joint statement which was released on Thursday, on the occasion of the visit of the President of France to the UAE. Below is …

The opening of Louvre Abu Dhabi will be a grand affair with four days of celebrations, that include a series of performances, workshops and shows, organisers said on Monday. These festivities will begin soon after the museum opens to the public at 10am on November 11, the Louvre Abu Dhabi …

A cargo plane chartered by the French military crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on its approach to the international airport in Abidjan, killing four crew members from Moldova and injuring six others from Moldova and France, officials said Saturday. Ten people were aboard the plane arriving from the capital of …

Art fans in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have started the countdown. In a little over a month the ‘Louvre Abu Dhabi’ will finally open its doors to the public: a unique building and a first of its kind collection under one roof on the Arabian Peninsula. …

France’s parliament adopted an anti-terrorism bill on Tuesday that will bolster police surveillance powers and make it easier to close mosques suspected of preaching hatred, but rights groups warned it would lead to civil freedoms being infringed. Before the vote, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb described France as being “still in …

Two women were killed in southern France on Sunday by an assailant armed with a knife, in an attack that forced the evacuation of a major train station, the authorities said. The assailant was fatally shot by a military patrol after killing the women in front of the Saint-Charles train …

Iran tested a new ballistic missile that is reportedly capable of carrying multiple warheads, the nation’s state-run broadcaster announced Saturday. Iran unveiled the ballistic missile Friday at a military parade in Tehran and successfully tested it the same day, Press TV reported. It said Iran released footage of the test-launch. …

French troops were struck by a vehicle outside a barracks in suburban Paris on Wednesday in an apparent attack that left six wounded, including two seriously, according to French police. Police said in a tweet that an operation was underway and that they were trying to track down the vehicle …

Russian intelligence agents attempted to spy on President Emmanuel Macron’s election campaign earlier this year by creating phony Facebook personas, according to a U.S. congressman and two other people briefed on the effort. About two dozen Facebook accounts were created to conduct surveillance on Macron campaign officials and others close …

France’s armed forces chief resigned on Wednesday in a dispute with Emmanuel Macron over defense budget cuts, an early test of the newly elected president’s mettle and the tough presidential style he is cultivating. In a statement, 60 year-old Pierre de Villiers said he had tried to keep the armed …

French President Emmanuel Macron said his defense chief has no choice but to agree with what he says, a weekly newspaper reported on Sunday, after his top general criticized spending cuts to this year’s budget. “If something opposes the military chief of staff and the president, the military chief of …

France wasted no time in rebuilding its economic ties with Iran since international sanctions were lifted as part of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. In early 2016 — just after the sanctions began to roll back — France made deals with Iran to sell Airbus commercial jets, return carmaker Peugeot …

African powers launched a new multinational military force to tackle Islamist militants in the Sahel on Sunday, which French President Emmanuel Macron told a regional summit should be fully operational by the autumn despite its current budget shortfall. Some observers see the initiative of the G5 Sahel bloc – Mali, …

Eight people have been injured in a shooting outside a mosque in southern France, officials have confirmed. Worshippers leaving the Arrahma mosque in Avignon were approached by two hooded suspects at about 22:30 local time (21:30 GMT) on Sunday. The suspects, carrying a handgun and a shotgun, arrived in a …

Brexit Secretary David Davis arrived in Brussels on Monday to launch talks he hoped would produce a “new, deep and special partnership” with the EU in the interest of Britons and all Europeans. Beaming as he met the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier at the EU executive’s Berlaymont headquarters, …

BY GUY FAULCONBRIDGE AND KATE HOLTON for REUTERS — Britain voted to leave the European Union, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and dealing the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two. Global financial markets plunged on Friday as results from a …

THE LEVANT NEWS — by Graham E. Fuller– ISIS, with its horrific attack on purely civilian targets in Paris, has established new realities about its nature, capabilities and intentions. The need for its elimination can now no longer be in doubt. It is not that Parisian lives are more important …